


"Flat White for Colin?"

by masulevin



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Misunderstandings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-03
Updated: 2017-06-03
Packaged: 2018-11-08 15:09:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,902
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11084178
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/masulevin/pseuds/masulevin
Summary: A fic version of this post: AU where Cullen goes to a coffee shop, the cashier writes his name down wrong, and then when the cute barista calls for a Colin he gets too flustered to say anything about what his real name is.Which is fine until he comes back and she just keeps calling him Colin.





	"Flat White for Colin?"

 

Asha barely glances at the cup before she calls for its owner. “Flat white for Colin?” She double checks that the paper lid is in place and then sets the cup down, name-out, on the counter so he can grab it.

He doesn’t.

She sets the next drink out, calls for that person, then repeats the call for Colin. He paid already; he should get his drink. She hovers as a lull in the crowd means she doesn’t have any drinks to make, scanning the customers, and when she calls for Colin a final time she sees a blonde man turn from examining the flyers on the bulletin board.

He blinks at her once, then smiles, and her eyes drop to his lips as his scar stretches and pulls the right side of his mouth up higher. She swallows, blushes, then scoots the cup a little closer to him as he walks over to the counter.

He’s... Maker, he’s beautiful. He has golden hair that’s styled, but would obviously be curly if he didn’t, amber eyes, and a row of white teeth that she can see when his smile grows.

“Thank you,” he says, and he glances down at his name scrawled on the cup in black sharpie.

“My pleasure,” she says, and her eyes crinkle at the corners when she smiles up at him.

\---

He can’t stop thinking about the girl at the coffee shop, the barista who called for Colin three times before he realized she meant him. She was beautiful with tan skin and freckles for days and when she smiled at him he forgot how to speak.

Not that that’s unusual. Him forgetting how to speak to a beautiful woman, anyway. At least he’d managed to say thank you before he swallowed his tongue.

Maybe... maybe next time he goes back to get a coffee he can tell her his real name.

Not that he needs more coffee exactly. The last cup is still taunting him from his trashcan and he really needs to stop drinking it.

Maybe he’ll just switch to decaf.

\---

He goes to the same little coffee shop at the same time the next day, trying to pretend like he isn’t hoping a little (okay a lot) that she’ll be there. He’ll say his real name and he’ll see hers on her nametag and then...

Well and then nothing, likely, but he takes a steadying breath before pushing through the front door. The bell tinkles as he steps into the little store, and he immediately locks eyes with the same barista from last time.

She grins at him and steps to the register when a blonde worker elbows her in the ribs. Cullen’s lips curl to match hers, and he allows his eyes a risky glance down to look at her name tag.

_Asha._

“Good morning!” she says, voice cheerful. “Colin, right? Flat white?” 

“I, uhh--yes?” he says, and then winces. He didn’t correct his name, but she’s already writing it down.

She passes the cup off to the other woman and rings it up, just barely brushing their fingers together when she passes back his change. He clears throat a little and drops the change into the tip jar, earning himself another winning smile.

He drifts away when Asha turns to help the customer behind him in line, but this time he’s listening for _Colin_ to be called.

When it is, it’s Asha’s voice, and he turns with arched eyebrows to see her standing with his drink in her hand, smiling.

“Thank you,” he says, because that’s what you say to the person who makes you a drink, and she laughs a little as she presses the cup into his hands.

“My pleasure,” she says, and then she has to turn away to make another drink.

\---

“You give Jackboot your number or what?” Sera rolls out her shoulders and stretches as the last of the morning rush leaves. “That why you made me switch from making drinks to taking orders?”

Asha blushes but nods, turning away from Sera to wipe down one of the machines. “Yeah. He’s... cute.”

Sera snorts a little. “If you’re into that sort of thing,” she says, shuddering to indicate that she is _not_.

“Think he’ll call?” Asha’s small voice betrays her uncertainty, and Sera’s eyes go soft before she answers.

“He’d be crazy not to,” she says, and then wraps one arm around Asha’s shoulders to pull the taller woman down for a kiss on the cheek.

\---

“Hey, Curly? There’s a number on your cup.”

Cullen looks over from his computer at Varric, frowns, and pushes his glasses higher up on his nose. “A what?”

Varric picks it up and turns it so that Cullen can see the side of his cup with his name and order scrawled on it. Under that, though, in a different pen, is a set of ten digits and Asha’s name.

_Her phone number._

“Looks like someone has a crush on... Colin.” Varric looks positively smug, and Cullen reaches out to take the cup from him. It’s nearly empty, just a swallow or two left, and it’s probably cold. He would have thrown it away without ever seeing it if Varric hadn’t pointed it out. “Did you take someone else’s cup?”

Cullen’s fingers are already itching to pull out his phone. “Thanks, Varric,” he says, and Varric accepts the dismissal with a chuckle.

He waits until the other man is out of his sight before pulling up his phone to put Asha’s name and number in his contacts. It’s too early to call. He... he should wait. At least until he’s finished working. 

He should... he should wait.

\---

Asha drops her phone when it starts ringing. It bounces harmlessly onto her bed, but she still dropped it in surprise. A number she doesn’t recognize lights up the screen as Maryden’s latest song plays from the little speakers.

It’s a local number, at least. The caller ID says Denerim. She answers it.

“Hello?” She clears her throat and tries again, sinking onto her mattress with a stiff back. “Hello?”

A pause, then that beautiful voice from the coffee shop reaches her ear. “Hi, um, hello. Asha?”

Her breath rushes out of her lungs in a little dreamy sigh. “This is she.”

“This is, ah, Cullen from the coffee shop. You gave me your number?” His voice is a little staticky through the phone, but it’s definitely him, and she flops backward onto her mattress.

“I did,” she confirms. “I’m... I’m glad you called, Colin.”

There’s another pause, longer this time. “Y-yes, I, me too. I wanted to ask if you wanted to have dinner this weekend. With me.” He adds _with me_ as a bit of an afterthought, and Asha huffs out a little laugh.

“I would love to,” she says, and then adds, “Do you like Tevinter food? There’s a new restaurant near here that I’ve been dying to try. It’s supposed to be really good.”

“I can’t say I’ve ever had any, but I’m happy to try. Does Saturday work for you?”

Asha can barely contain her excitement. “Yeah, that should be fine. I’ll find the address and text it to you, okay?”

“Sounds great,” Cullen says. “I’ll... see you then.”

“I’m looking forward to it! Bye, Colin.”

He laughs, just a little. “Bye.”

She hangs up the phone and punches into the air above her head for a moment before springing up. She dashes from the room and bangs on Sera’s door across the narrow little hallway.

Sera opens the door a half second later, obviously dressed up to leave, and raises her eyebrows.

“He called,” Asha breathes. “We’re going out Saturday.”

Sera grins and raises her hand for a high-five. “Yeah! Inky’s gonna _get it_.”

\---

Saturday rolls around very, very slowly. Asha is buzzing with anticipation, though he doesn’t come back for coffee again. That’s fine, though. They’ve been texting a little, and he still seems interested, and even Sera’s teasing hasn’t dampened her excitement.

She gets off work a few hours before her date, and she takes the opportunity to nap a bit so she won’t start falling asleep over dinner. She gets ready slowly, shaving, moisturizing, blowdrying, painting her face, putting the piercings back in that she isn’t allowed to sport at the coffee shop, dressing twice before settling on a sundress that shows off her half-sleeve and legs.

She reminds Sera where she’s going before she leaves, promises to text if plans change, and then takes one final glance in the mirror to make sure her makeup isn’t smudged and her hair isn’t frizzing before she leaves.

The restaurant is close enough to walk to, so she does, enjoying what warmth Ferelden can offer in the summer. 

This feels big. Like something’s going to change tonight, and she shivers.

\---

Cullen makes it to the restaurant a few minutes before Asha does, but he’s still waiting for their table when she walks up. She sees him first, touching his elbow to get his attention, and his mouth drops open a little before he can stop himself.

If he thought she was beautiful at 7:30am, she’s indescribable now. Her hair is falling in soft waves around her shoulders, her eyes are lined with dark eyeliner that makes them look impossibly greener, a tiny silver loop is in her nose, and when she reaches up with one hand to tuck her hair behind her ear his gaze is drawn to the flowers tattooed onto her arm.

“Hi,” he breathes, and then curses himself. He should be able to say something more intelligent than that.

She doesn’t seem to mind, unashamedly letting her eyes dip down to take in the dark button-up he’s wearing, the sleeves rolled up and out of the way. She looks back up at him and grins, red lips twisting and tempting him more than they should.

“Hi,” she says, bright and happy. “Are you ready?”

He nods, and offers her his arm when the hostess arrives to lead them to their table. She takes it, tucking her hand into his elbow, and lets out a little sigh of satisfaction when she feels the muscles there.

This date was a _great_ idea.

\---

The date goes well enough that they agree on another one before it's even over. He insists on driving her home when she says she walked, and though she can see him eyeing the alienage district with suspicious eyes, he doesn’t say anything about it. He just lets her out at the door of the apartment building with a soft smile, and promises to call her.

And he actually does.

Every time she picks up the phone, she greets him with a cheery, "Hi, Colin!" Each time she does, it becomes just  _that much harder_ to correct her.

\---

They go out again a few days later when she has two off days in a row. He picks her up this time and drives her to _his_ favorite restaurant in the city. “It has the best _real_ Ferelden food in Denerim,” he informs her. “It tastes like being at home.”

Ferelden food isn’t her favorite, but she eats it with a smile. She even tries one of the dark beers he seems to favor, though she doesn’t like that much either.

She does like _him_ though. And he seems to like her too.

\---

On their third date, they try Antivan food. He’s at least had it before, though never from a genuinely _Antivan_ restaurant. It’s a bit of a learning experience for him, but he obediently tries everything they order, even eating directly off of her fork when she unthinkingly offers it to him across the table.

She’s squirming with anticipation by the time the meal is over. She would have dragged him up to her apartment after their first date when he drove her home, but he’s been so much of a _gentleman_ that she hasn’t really had the opportunity.

But. Tonight’s the night. He picked her up. Sera is away for the evening doing Red Jenny business. His hair is starting to curl more around the edges as it grows out, and she keeps staring at it and imagining how it’s going to feel under her fingers.

The check comes, and he snatches it up before Asha can try to pay. He passes his card to the waitress and then excuses himself from the table for a minute. Alone, Asha checks her phone to make sure Sera hasn’t changed her plans--she hasn’t, thank the _Maker_ \--and then the waitress comes back with the receipt.

Cullen’s still in the bathroom, so Asha pulls the receipt and pen to her side of the table to leave the tip. The waitress was nice, and Asha’s had this exact job, so she’s probably too generous before--

“You’re shitting me.”

The words slip from her mouth before she can stop them, and she claps a hand over her mouth before glancing around to see if anyone heard. No one reacted, so she lowers her hand and glares down at the receipt.

Then she picks up his card for confirmation.

 _Cullen S. Rutherford_.

Not Colin. _Cullen._ Fucking Cullen.

She’s literally been calling this man the wrong name for _days._ Weeks, almost. She would have taken him home and fucked him and called him the _wrong name._

Panic starts to well in her chest, and she scrawls her name across the signature line on the receipt before dropping card and pen on the table and scooping up her purse.

But that’s when he comes back-- _Cullen_ \--and the way he frowns when he sees her clutching her purse to her chest makes her feel like she’s kicked a puppy.

“Are you alright?” he asks, hovering just far enough away so she could still get up and run if she needs to.

She wants to. Her brain is going “!!!” like a siren. Any other time she would have excused herself.

But then he sits down across from her and she finds herself rambling before she can stop herself.

“You’ve been letting me call you Colin and that isn’t your name! Were you going to tell me?” His face drops and she sounds angrier than she is, but she’s embarrassed and can’t figure out how to care. “Would you have let me introduce you to my friends like that? Write birthday cards to ‘Colin Rutherford’? Ask _your_ friends how they met 'Colin'?”

She’s working herself up and this is embarrassing and she finally bites her lip to stop talking. She covers her face with her hands and lets out a shaky breath.

Their table is deathly silent for a long moment, then Cullen starts to laugh.

Asha peeks between her fingers at him, still frowning, and watches as he runs one hand through his hair, mussing his curls. “This isn’t funny,” she says, a little bit of a whine still in her voice.

Cullen shrugs, takes the receipt and puts his card back in his wallet. “It’s a _little_ funny,” he says, still grinning. Asha stares at his scar to avoid his eyes. His cheeks are pink and growing darker. “I couldn’t figure out how to tell you.”

She resists lowering her face to the table. “How about ‘hey Ash, you’ve been calling me by the wrong name since  the day we met’?”

“Hey.” Cullen stretches one arm out and places his hand palm-up on the table before her. She glances down at it, then up at his face. He smiles lopsidedly at her and wiggles his fingers until she puts his hand in hers. “It’s fine.”

“It isn’t,” she starts to protest, but he just squeezes her fingers.

“It _is_ fine,” he corrects, very gently, and he rubs his thumb across her knuckles. The motion feels intimate, warm, and Asha finds herself smiling back at him. "And it will be a funny story one day.”

“One day,” she echoes, then she sighs and puts her other hand on top of his. “I’m sorry anyway. I’ve ruined our evening.”

Cullen shakes his head at her before standing. He doesn’t let go of her hand, using it to pull her out of her seat and through the restaurant. He stops in the parking lot under a street light, using his free hand to tuck a lock of Asha’s dark hair behind her ear before cupping her jaw. 

“You didn’t ruin anything, I promise,” he says, and his voice is lower, huskier, and Asha leans into him, instinctively parting her lips.

Cullen smiles at that and tilts her head back before bending down to press his lips to hers. It’s just a light kiss, really a tease, but Asha arches up onto her toes to press herself even closer.

His hand moves from her jaw to the back of her head, fingers tangling in her hair, and he moves his other hand to her waist to hold her steady. She clutches at his shirt, wrinkling the dark fabric, and she sighs when he finally lets her go.

“Cullen?” she whispers, and he shivers when he hears his name, his _real_  name, finally pass her lips. “Let’s go back to my apartment now.”

His eyes blink open then and they bore into hers. His lips twist into a smirk and he squeezes her closer for a moment before letting her go. “As you wish.”

**Author's Note:**

> I don't even know what a flat white is.


End file.
